What is assessed under 'muscle tone' in the APGAR score?

The assessment of 'muscle tone' in the APGAR score specifically refers to the overall muscle resistance observed in an infant. This aspect evaluates how well the infant's muscles respond to examination and indicates the level of neurological functioning and overall health. A healthy infant typically exhibits some degree of flexion in the limbs and may show resistance to passive movement, which is reflective of appropriate muscle tone.

To clarify, while grip strength and limb flexibility may be components of a broader evaluation, they do not directly measure muscle tone as standardized in the APGAR scoring system. Additionally, head circumference is unrelated to muscle tone and serves a different purpose in clinical assessments, typically focused on growth and brain development rather than muscle function. Thus, the overall muscle resistance is the correct focus for the muscle tone assessment in the APGAR score.